Witten, Ball USTA Pro Circuit Winners
The appeal of watching USTA Pro Circuit involves seeing a mix of experienced pros and up-and-coming pros, talented players competing in down-to-earth locales. The rough pro tennis equivalent of Double-
A baseball made two tour stops in the Sacramento Valley in June. In front of large crowds that belied the tournament’s status, tournament winners were a former college star from the U.S. and an Aussie carrying on his father’s legacy.
On June 14 at Del Oro H.S. in Loomis, Jesse Witten — the five-time All-American at the University of Kentucky — dropped just one set en route to the RWI USTA Men’s Pro Futures title. Witten followed that up with a quarterfinal berth days later in the Relyaid USTA Pro Futures at the Natomas RC, only to fall to eventual champ Carsten Ball.
Ball, once the No. 1-ranked junior in Australia, is now ranked No. 190. After winning all eight sets before reaching the final against Colombian Carlos Salamanca on June 21, the 22-year-old was a 7-5, 6-1 victor at Natomas. A hard-court specialist, Ball is now gearing for a spot in the U.S. Open and hopes to atone for a misstep earlier this year in front of his compatriots.
A second-generation Davis Cup vet (former Aussie ATPer Syd Ball is both his father and head coach), the junior Ball’s only Grand Slam appearance to date in ‘09 was a first-round loss at the Australian Open.
As the Loomis draw unfolded, the big story centered around one of the tournament’s unlikely success stories. Russia’s Artem Sitak entered the week unseeded and owning a world ranking of No. 535 before reaching the final. Witten, meanwhile, stormed through his end of the bracket, the 26-year-old elevating to the form that allowed for berths in the ‘01 NCAA singles final (as a freshman) and the ‘06 U.S. Open (where he lost to the now-retired American and former Stanford standout Paul Goldstein). The No. 380-ranked Floridian gutted out a three-setter against his Russian counterpart, losing the first set before collecting the 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 win. Witten now must win the handful of U.S. Open qualifying matches necessary for a return visit to the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.
“This really helps his confidence,” tournament director Monty Basnyat said. “We saw how skilled he is. His forehand is just huge. The higher his rank climbs will depend on his confidence.”
While Kings attendance has sunk to historic lows, attendance at these two events show that Sacramento has retained its reputation as a region that supports its tennis. Basnyat, also one of the officials for the Natomas event, said that a tournament record of 500 fans were in attendance for the final in Loomis. To accommodate the demand for seats (which were free of charge), Basnyat says next year’s event will feature an extra grandstand.
“All the players’ comments are all about the charge they got from seeing all the fans,” he said. “It’s really what separates them from the other Pro Circuit stops.”
Caps, Kastles Swap Former WTT MVPs
The Sacramento Capitals and the Washington Kastles announced a four-player trade just days before the start of the Advanta World TeamTennis Pro League season.
The teams swapped their ‘09 second- and third-round draft picks with Sacramento sending ‘08 MVP Rennae Stubbs and Olga Puchkova to Washington for ‘06 MVP Angela Haynes, 17-year-old CoCo Vandeweghe and financial compensation. Sacramento plays in the Western Conference, while Washington is in the Eastern Conference.
Stubbs’ new team includes another doubles standout in eight-time Grand Slam doubles champ Leander Paes, giving the Kastles one of the most formidable mixed doubles teams in the League. This is the third season of WTT action for Haynes, a resident of Irvine, Calif. Haynes excels in the WTT format, winning MVP honors during her rookie season in Delaware. Haynes has won seven ITF doubles and two ITF singles titles since turning pro.
At 17, Vandeweghe is one of the rising stars of American tennis. The native Californian captured the ‘08 U.S. Open Junior championship and has an impressive athletic lineage. Her uncle Kiki was an NBA standout and her mother won Olympic silver medals in swimming (‘76) and volleyball (‘84). Puchkova is making her WTT debut. The 21-year-old Russian has won five ITF singles titles and has been ranked as high as No. 32 in singles on the WTA Tour.
The WTT season concludes with the Finals on July 26 in Washington, D.C.
Joyce Martinez: Overingcoming RA
Joyce Martinez, 19, could hardly believe it when a blood test indicated rheumatoid arthritis — an inflammatory disorder most often diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 70.
Originally from Mexico, Martinez joined Sacramento State women’s tennis team in ‘06, suiting up as a Hornet in exchange for a college education in the U.S. Ranked as high as No. 2 in Mexico, she earned first team All-Big Sky accolades her freshman year. Her success continued into her sophomore year with a 15-6 singles record; however, Joyce also began experiencing symptoms that affected her ability to even hold a racket, let alone compete at the D1 level.
It started with swelling in her arms and legs, which eventually progressed to joints throughout her entire body — symptoms that quickly became problematic for an agile athlete. In order to grip her racket, Joyce would soak her hands in hot water and take as many Advil necessary to numb the pain. While her condition only worsened, quitting was never an option. As team captain, Martinez wouldn’t show any signs of weakness.
But after her pain led to yet another lost night of sleep prior to a match — during which Martinez recalled nearly downing an entire bottle of Advil — she told her coach she had to retire. Fortunately, her coach took her to one more physician, who diagnosed Martinez with rheumatoid arthritis. Soon, she was prescribed a biologic therapy that has helped to control her symptoms and improve her condition dramatically.
In Brief
The Incline Village Tennis Center kicked off summer with a variety of clinics, youth programs and events, including the June 13 Racket Demo Day, the 28th Annual Incline Open (Aug. 14-16), Intro to Tennis Clinics, Monday Night Mixed Doubles, Cardio Tennis, and Ladies Day! Intro to Tennis clinics (held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m.), Monday Night Mixed Doubles (Mondays from 5-7 p.m.), Cardio Clinics (Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 p.m./Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m./Saturdays from 10-11 a.m.
For additional information, call (775) 832-1235.
